Knob construction for cylinder locks



Feb. 12, 1963 J. R. GERLACH 3,07

KNOB CONSTRUCTION FOR CYLINDER LOCKS Filed Nov. 25, 1959 INVENTOR. JOHN R. GERLACH ATTORNEY nit Stats idealist 3 $77 .iiltl tJQNSTiZUQTliDN CYMNEER HACKS .iohn it. Geriach, Los Angeles, assignor to The American Hardware Corporation, New Britain, onn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 233, 1959, Sen No. $4,342 3 @laims. (Qt, 7tl--22d) This invention relates to a knob construction and, more particularly, to a single piece knob construction including means for mounting and retaining a cylinder lock in operative relationship as a component part of said knob construction.

The problem of mounting cylinder locks in operative engagement with the exterior knobs of lock sets is a re current one in the industry and various relatively complicated expedients have been utilized to mount and secure cylinder locks in operative engagement with their associated knobs. When the one-piece knob construction has a shank or neck of a diameter that will not pass a cylinder and plug assembly, the difficulty of mounting the cylinder lock constituted by said cylinder and plug assembly in the knob construction is accentuated, and my invention is directed to the adequate and easy mounting of cylinder locks in such knob constructions.

it is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a one-piece knob construction for use in conjunction with lock sets wherein a cylinder lock can be mounted in operative relationship with said knob by merely inserting the cylinder lock in the body of the knob and by the simple expedient of pushing it through an opening in the front face of the knob and displacing a portion of said cylinder lock with respect to said opening to prevent its being withdrawn therethrough.

in addition, by the practice of the teachings of my invention it is possible to maintain the cylinder lock against displacement or withdrawal from the associated knob by engaging the housing of said cylinder lock on a corresponding retention means on the knob spindle, thus preventing removal of the cylinder lock from operative association with the knob until the knob has been dismounted from its associated spindle.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in a knob construction of the aforementioned character, of a cylinder lock having a lock cover associated therewith adapted to overlie the aforesaid opening in the front face of the knob body, said knob and cover having co-operative detent means adapted to retain said cover in a predetermined orientation with respect to said knob.

A further object of my invention is the provision, in a knob construction of the aforementioned character, of stop means on the knob body adapted to prevent movement of the cylinder lock housing with respect to the knob b dy beyond a predetermined position and of guide means on the knob body engageable with the associated knob spindle to guide the knob with reference to the spindle in order that the retention means on the spindle may properly engage the housing of the cylinder lock after it has been located by abutting on the aforesaid stop means.

Therefore, the cylinder lock can be readily installed in operative relationship with the associated one piece knob body by the simple expedient of inserting it from the face of the knob through the opening in said face and rotating the housing of the cylinder lock to move a portion thereof out of registry with said opening until it engages the stop on the knob body. Of course, the co-operative detents on the knob and the cylinder lock cover plate are also engaged simultaneously to prevent relative rotation between the knob and said cover plate. Subsequently, the knob spindle is inserted into operative engagement with the knob and the retention means thereupon engages a p0rtion of the cylinder lock housing to prevent reverse rotation of the cylinder lock housing which would release it from operative engagement with the associated knob. Of course, the guide means on the knob serves to guide the retention means on the spindle into operative engagement with the cylinder lock housing and to prevent relative rotation between the cylinder lock housing and the knob.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, which is for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lock set constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view taken on the broken line 2- of FIG. 1;

PEG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line 3-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line ii of FIG. 2;

PEG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the broken line 5 5 of FIG. 2;

HG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken from the broken line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cylinder lock cover associated with the cylinder lock; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective sectional view showing the rear portion of the front face of the knob body.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, 1 show a lock set it constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention and including an exterior knob 12 and an interior knob 14. The exterior knob 12 is constituted by one piece body 16 and constitutes a component part of the knob construction 20 which is the subject matter of the present invention.

The body 16 of the exterior knob 12 includes a recessed front face 22, said recess having an opening 24- formed therein which includes a substantially circular portion 26 and a radial portion 23. A plurality of detent tabs or prongs Ed is formed integrally with the front face and said tabs extend into the confines of the circular portion 26 of the opening 24. A blocking protrusion 32 is embossed in the front face 22 and is located adjacent the radial portion 28 of the opening 24.

A stop means or protrusion 36 is formed in the front face 22 of the exterior knob 12 and is located a considerable distance from the adjacent edge of the radial portion 2% of the opening 24-. In its general configuration and size, the opening 24 conforms substantially to the size and configuration of the housing 38 of a cylinder lock iii, said housing, as best shown in FIGS. 2-4 of the drawing, inciuding a cylindrical barrel portion 42 and a radially oriented tumbler chamber 44 formed integrally therewith.

incorporated in and rotatable with respect to the barrel portion 42 of the cylinder lock 40 is a cylinder lock plug 46 which incorporates a keyway 48 adapted to resesame ceive a key, not shown, which will displace the tumblers of the cylinder lock to permit relative rotation between the housing 38 of said lock and the plug 46. Mounted upon the cylinder lock 4% and retained in operative relationship therewith by means of the head of the plug 46 is a cover 50 which is, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, adapted to be received in a recess 52 in the knob body 16 and to overlie and conceal the opening 24 in the front face 22 of the knob body 16.

The cover 50 has a radially directed flange 54 which has a plurality of slots 56 therein, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 of the drawings, and said slots are adapted to receive the detent tabs or prongs 30 in the front face 22 of the knob body 16 in order to interlock the cover 50 with the knob body 16 and position it with respect to the same.

The knob body 16 includes an integral shank 58 which is adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped exterior spindle 60. The spindle tihas opposed slots 62 and 64, respectively, formed therein, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawing. The slot 62 constitutes a retention means for the cylinder lock housing 38 since, when the shank 53 of the knob body 16 is telescopically engaged upon the corresponding portion of the exterior spindle 60, the tumbler chamber 44 of the cylinder lock housing 353 is engaged by the walls of the slot 62 to prevent relative rotation of the cylinder lock housing 38 with respect to the knob body 16.

The knob'body 1'6 has guide tabs 66 formed integrally therewith at the juncture between the shank 58 of the knob with the hand grip portion thereof and said guide tabs are received, as best shown in FIGS; 2 and 4 of the drawings, in the slots 62 and 64; serving both to prevent relative rotation between the knob body 16 andthe exterior spindle 6t and to guide the exterior spindle with with reference to theknob body 1'6 as either retention slot 62' ord l engages to tumbler chamber 44 of the cylinder lock housing 38.

A l'atch tongue 68 is mounted in the exterior spindle 69 for movement by a spring '76 into engagement with acorresponding opening '71 in the shank 58 of the knob body 16 to retain the knob body 16 against displacement from operative engagement with the outer spindle 66 after it has been installed thereupon.

It will be noted that the cylinder lock housing 38 and, more particularly, the barrel portion 42 thereof incorporatesan elongated slot 72, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing. Therefore, when the cylinder lock ill is to be installed in operative engagement with the knob body 16, theslot 72 in the barrel portion 42. of thecylinder lock housing- 38 is lined up with the centrally located one of" the three detent slots 56 in the cylinder cover 5t This will place one of the remaining slots 56' to the right of the elongated slot 72 in the cylinder lock housing 38 and the other slot 56 to the left thereof;

Withthe key inserted half way in the keyway 4% in the plug: 46, the cylinder lock 40 is. inserted through the opening 24' in the front face 22 of the knob body 16.

The tumbler chamber 44' of the cylinder lock housing.

38 m'ust'register with the radial portion 28 of the opening 24 and'the three slots 56 in the cylinder cover 5% must register with the detenttabs or prongs 30 in the front face 22 of the knob body 16. Therefore, as the cylinder lock housing 38 is inserted into the interior of the knob body 16 the center one of the detent tabs 30 will engage the elongated slot '72 in the cylinder lock housing 38 and, ultimately, as the cover 59 is received in the recess 52 in the knob body 16, the detent tabs or prongs 30 will engage in the corresponding detent slots 56 in the radial flange 5.4 onthe cover 50 to locate the cover 50 Withrespect to th'e'front face22 of the knob body 16.

The cylinder lock housing 38 is then-rotated by the key until the tumbler chamber 44 thereof impinges upon the stop'36. If an attempt is made to rotate the cylinder lock housing 38in the opposite direction the blocking means 32 will prevent such rotation. After the rotation of the cylinder lock housing in the above described manher, the shank 58 of the knob body 16 is inserted into overlying relationship with the exterior spindle 6d and the upper and lower slots 62 and 64, respectively, in the spindle engaged upon the guide tabs 66 on the knob body 16 while the tumbler chamber 44 on the cylinder lock housing 38 is engaged by the opposed walls of the upper slot 62 which constitutes retention means for preventing relative rotation between the knob body 16 and the cylinder lock housing 38. When the knob body 16 is pushed inwardly to the fullest extent; the latch tongue 68 will engage the opening 72 in the shank 58 to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the knob body 16 and the exterior spindle 60.

When the removal of the cylinder housing 38 for re placement or repair is indicated, the latch tongue 68 is depressed to free the shank 58 of the knob body 16 from operative engagement with the exterior spindle 60. The knob body 16 is then moved outwardly and released from the exterior spindle 66. With the key half way out of the plug 46, the cylinder lock housing 38 can be rotated until it registers with the opening 24 in the front face/22' ofthe knob body 16 through which it can be readily removed.

The knob construction resulting from adherence to the teachings of my invention greatly facilitates the installationof a cylinder lock in a knob andits removal from a knob without the necessity for the provision of a large number of auxiliary parts. In addition, the simple removal ofthe knob from operative engagementwith the associated exterior spindle permits the instantaneous removal of the cylinder lock.

15 claim:

1*. In a knob construction, the combination of: a hollow knob body having a front face incorporating a cylinder lock receiving opening, said front face having detent means thereupon; a cylinder lock having a housing incorporating a cylinder plug and having a cylinder cover supported upon the forward extremity thereof, said housing being movable within said body after insertion through said opening into a position in which a portion thereof is out of registry with said opening to retain said. housing against displacement from said body, said cylinder cover being adapted to cover said opening in said front face, said cover having detent means thereupon corresponding with said detent means on said front face tolocate said cover with reference to said front face; and a spindle insertable in said body having retention means adapted to positively prevent relative movement between said housing and said body.

2. In a knob construction, the combination of: a holl'ow'knob body having a: front face incorporating a cylin-r der lock receiving opening and a stop spaced from said opening; acylinder lock having a housing incorporating a cylinder plug and having a cylinder cover supported upon the forwardextremity of said plug; said housing he'- ing'movablewithin said body after insertion through said opening'into a' position in which. a portion thereof is out of registry with saidopening and engaged with said stop to retain saidhousing against displacement from said body, said cylinder cover being adapted to cover said opening in said front face; and a spindle insertable in said body having retention means adapted to positively prevent relative movement between said housing and said body.

3. In a knob construction, the combination of: a hollow knob body having a front face incorporating a cylinder lock receiving opening, said front face having stop means-thereupon toprevent movement of a cylinder lock housing beyond a predetermined position in said: body and: detent means atsaid opening; acylinder lock having a-housing incorporating a cylinder plug and havinga cylinder cover incorporating detent means cooperative with the detent means on said front face supported upon the forward extremity thereof, said housing being movable within said body after insertion through said opening into a position in which a portion thereof is out of registry with said opening to retain said housing against displacement from said body, said cylinder cover being adapted to cover said opening in said front face; and a spindle insertable in said body having retention means adapted to positively prevent relative movement between said housing and d body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Brauning May 4, 1937 Brauning Oct. 10, 1939 Schlage Aug. 25, 1942 Schlage Nov. 10, 1942 Fisler May 11, 1954 Rayburn Oct. 4, 1955 Golden June 19, 1956 Glass Mar. 4, 1958 

1. IN A KNOB CONSTRUCTION, THE COMBINATION OF: A HOLLOW KNOB BODY HAVING A FRONT FACE INCORPORATING A CYLINDER LOCK RECEIVING OPENING, SAID FRONT FACE HAVING DETENT MEANS THEREUPON; A CYLINDER LOCK HAVING A HOUSING INCORPORATING A CYLINDER PLUG AND HAVING A CYLINDER COVER SUPPORTED UPON THE FORWARD EXTREMITY THEREOF, SAID HOUSING BEING MOVABLE WITHIN SAID BODY AFTER INSERTION THROUGH SAID OPENING INTO A POSITION IN WHICH A PORTION THEREOF IS OUT OF REGISTRY WITH SAID OPENING TO RETAIN SAID HOUSING AGAINST DISPLACEMENT FROM SAID BODY, SAID CYLINDER COVER BEING ADAPTED TO COVER SAID OPENING IN SAID FRONT FACE, SAID COVER HAVING DETENT MEANS THEREUPON CORRESPONDING WITH SAID DETENT MEANS ON SAID FRONT FACE TO LOCATE SAID COVER WITH REFERENCE TO SAID FRONT FACE; AND A SPINDLE INSERTABLE IN SAID BODY HAVING RETENTION MEANS ADAPTED TO POSITIVELY PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND SAID BODY. 